Fuel ship sunk off Pt. Pedro - VoT

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 October 2001, 21:10 GMT]The Sri Lanka Navy supply ship, 'Thukinda,' carrying hundreds of tons of fuel to troops in the northern Jaffna peninsula was attacked and sunk Tuesday when it, and its escort of gunboats, was intercepted by the Liberation Tigers off the coast of Pt. Pedro, the Voice of Tigers radio said in its evening broadcast. Several army and nevy personnel and four Black Sea Tigers were killed in the fighting, the radio said.

The Thukinda was carrying between 750 and 1000 tons of fuel from Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai port, the radio said.

Black Sea Tigers launched the first phase of the attack 17 nautical miles off the coast, at around 17.15, setting the ship ablaze, the radio said.

A second later attack launched while the Sri Lanka Navy was trying to rescue the damaged ship and its cargo, sank the vessel, the radio said.